Generation Z Through the Looking Glass

“No Home, No Retirement, No Kids.” This New York Times headline from June 11 captures the uncertain future awaiting Generation Z. Confronted with an increasingly competitive job market, deep political divisions, and an escalating climate crisis, the world’s second-youngest generation sees a stable future slipping further from reach. 

While some have called Gen Z’s outlook pessimistic, others argue that the generation views the world through the eyes of a pragmatist, or even a cautious optimist. In other words, although Gen Z is experiencing a unique set of challenges, its response to these problems—and its attitude to the future—is yet to be clearly defined.

 As Gen Z enters the U.S. workforce, a new cohort is poised to reshape the economy, politics, and society. The Harvard Independent spoke with Nancy Rappaport, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, to gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives this generation brings to the table. Rappaport is the co-author of “The Behavior Code,” a guide that helps educators respond effectively to challenging student behaviors. She also runs a clinical practice and teaches a first-year seminar on developmental psychology. The following interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

* * *

The Independent: What is the purpose of pessimism? Why do we feel it, and what is the role of pessimism in our lives?

Rappaport: So I haven’t studied pessimism. But what I would say, from having done clinical work, is that pessimism is a way of having low expectations with the hope that then, when bad things happen, you’re not disappointed, because you didn’t have any expectation that things would go well. It’s a protective mechanism. If you take the risk and have high hopes, and it doesn’t turn out, the fall is so much bigger.

[People may] think [pessimism] protects them from being disappointed. I’m not so sure. In my clinical work, I would say that sometimes backfires, because if you don’t have high expectations, then you miss out on a lot. You don’t get the joy of thinking, “Oh, I’m about to sit down and have this great meal.” You’re like, “Oh, the meal is probably burnt. Okay, why bother cooking it then?” Because you’ve already, in your mind, decided it’s burnt. 

There’s a guy named Seligman—and he was sort of the granddaddy of positive psychology—and he wrote a book I love to talk about in my class called “Learned Optimism.” He said that basically when people are depressed, it’s because they think it’s permanent and pervasive, and that when you have learned optimism, it’s because you learn persistence. 

I think a pessimist is not going to go to that place [of learned optimism]. They’re going to say, “This is never going to change.” And it’s not very productive. You have to be able to come up with some kind of strategy to manage disappointment.

The Independent: Would you agree with the characterization of Gen Z as pessimistic?

Rappaport: Let me just pause this for a little. I’m not good with generalizations. It probably comes from my having taught a generation of kids. I think it’s a cookie-cutter approach to defining a generation by a broad brush stroke. So I would hesitate to do that anyway. Because I see the diversity of how my students approach life, and they don’t come in and tell me, “I’m Gen Z, so I’m pessimistic.”

Is this a generation that might worry more than other generations? It’s possible. There are a lot of disruptions happening right now—and we just had a pandemic where people didn’t get to go to school, and they had to hole up in their houses. The reality is my generation has really ended up [with] things that are pretty [messed] up, and so realistically your generation has a lot of work to do. 

The Independent: What do you think specifically is making Gen Z become realists?

Rappaport: I think first of all, this generation is having to integrate information faster than we’ve ever asked anybody to do. We just started with AI, but prior to that, [there was] instant communication. And that means that there’s not a lot of time to pause and to be as reflective, because you’re constantly being bombarded by information. 

Think about George Floyd and Black Lives Matter. It’s not very easy to put on blinders unless you make deliberate efforts. You’re going to see the kind of atrocities that are happening in the world, and I think that’s going to create some anxiety for folks. It’s a different world. 

I remember when I first started child psychiatry and teaching in the early 90’s, there was a woman named Elkind. In her conceptualization of that generation, it was around that there was this “imaginary audience.” Now it’s not imaginary. It’s there 24/7. Now, you could say that that’s not a real audience, that we still have an imaginary audience—just a different kind. But I don’t think that’s true. 

You take in an inundation of information that’s very difficult to integrate, and doesn’t allow you to escape. And then you add on a later layer of having an audience at all times. It’s going to pressure cook folks.

The Independent: We know that Gen Z is facing a mental health crisis that is different from previous generations. A lot of your work focuses on mental health and psychological development. How do you think this crisis changes the way that Gen Z views its future? 

Rappaport: Particularly in the Harvard crowd, [I would say] that there is no room for slack. You have to really push yourselves to excel. Sometimes, there’s a feeling that you can’t focus on the process—you have to focus on the outcome, because the world is such a competitive place. How else are you going to get ahead? 

You read something that says, “AI just knocked out every job.” [So you think,] “Where does that leave me? Well, I need to excel.” And I think sometimes, there is the worry of, “How am I going to contribute if I have values of wanting to give back? Because what I’m being asked to do seems so huge.”

The Independent: Does the fact that Gen Z—and Harvard students in particular—are facing heightened competition worsen mental health outcomes? Do you think this idea of “learning to fail” could help people who feel disillusioned with the state of the world?

Rappaport: I think [competition] makes people more focused on outcomes. So it drives more perfectionism and anxiety about results versus investing in the process. [And] you have more catastrophic thinking, because everything feels so high stakes, and it doesn’t seem like there’s enough room to have setbacks.

If you go back to “learned optimism,” I wish people would be exposed to learning to fail. There’s a whole book on how important that is. I think it would allow us to be more patient both with ourselves and the world. Having some kind of humility—about you’re going to do the best you can, define what you value and what gives you meaning. 

The Independent: You mentioned that your students challenge the claim that Gen Z is pessimistic. What ways of thinking do you identify as having made your students feel less so?

Rappaport: First of all, I certainly try to create a community, try to give some nurturing myself, and appreciate what [students are] bringing to the table. Harvard can be a kind of lonely place, depending on where you land. If you look at [Robert] Waldinger’s research—he looked at Harvard graduates over sixty years, and he looked at what is the most salient health factor for folks. And it doesn’t turn out to be making a lot of money or having a fancy career. It is building connections and feeling that inordinate stabilizing force. 

You could say that [students may] be more isolated. That’s something you have to counter and really intentionally build a community and build connections. Ultimately, I don’t think it’s going to be individual therapy that’s going to save us. It’s really going to be figuring out ways to build community and connection that’s going to help your generation. That’s my two cents.

* * *

According to Rappaport, the future of Gen Z is not as grim as it appears. There are indeed enormous challenges on the horizon. Gen Z must learn to find its place in a brand new economy while finding its place in a divided society and addressing a serious mental health crisis. However, Gen Z seems to be rising to the challenge. 

“Everybody says this is a world of pessimism,” Rappaport said. “‘We’re burning, just find a fire hose.’ And I’m not of that school. You could call me an optimist, maybe, or a realist; I have a darted optimism for your generation. I feel like you all are going to inspire me, and I am really glad that I can pass the baton and see what you do, because we need some really creative solutions.”

Ishaan Tewari ’28 (itewari@college.harvard.edu) feels more hopeful about the future of young people.